Melissa & Lori Love Literacy

In this episode, we talk with Julia Lindsey about her book, Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills . Julia shares why decoding is one of the most important skills we can help students develop and how research-based instructional routines can make that learning more… Read more

Episode 260 In this episode, Wiley Blevins shares practical strategies for differentiating phonics instruction in both whole group and small group settings. We explore high impact routines, effective use of decodable texts, and how to meet diverse student needs efficiently. Wiley walks us through how to design… Read more

Episode 259 In this episode, we’re joined once again by literacy researcher and educator Brennan Chandler for a practical, teacher-friendly conversation all about spelling routines that support students as spellers and writers. Brennan walks us through a sequence of short, research-based routines including Sound Check… Read more

Episode 96 from 3/4/2022 We’re bringing back one of our most requested conversations about spelling and the important role it plays in reading development. In this episode, we revisit our conversation with literacy expert J. Richard Gentry, author of Brain Words , to explore how spelling supports automatic word… Read more

Episode 258 In this episode, we sit down with literacy researcher Brennan Chandler to talk about the science of spelling instruction and why spelling deserves a much bigger role in science of reading conversations. Brennan explains how spelling supports stronger writing, more precise word knowledge, and better reading… Read more

In this bonus episode, we're bringing you research right from the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) conference, one of the biggest gatherings of reading researchers in the world. We break down the key takeaways, emerging trends, and standout research that caught our attention, and talk about what… Read more

Episode 257 Why do so many students appear to thrive in early literacy, only to stall by middle school? In this episode, we talk with Rebecca Kockler to unpack what literacy data from Louisiana revealed about a common but often misunderstood pattern: strong early reading results followed by flat or declining… Read more

Episode 256 Faith Howard shares practical strategies for improving literacy skills in middle and high school students, focusing on decoding multisyllabic words, spelling routines, and fluency practices. This episode offers actionable insights for educators aiming to enhance reading comprehension and word attack… Read more

If you’ve ever wondered how to help your students decode longer words, this episode is for you! We’re joined by literacy researcher and professor Devin Kearns to talk all about teaching multisyllabic words. Many phonics programs focus on single-syllable words, but what happens when students hit big words and get… Read more

Episode 255 Experts Don Compton & Laura Steacy explore the complexities of multisyllabic word reading and the decoding challenges older readers encounter, especially those with dyslexia. They discuss how readers navigate complex words using different decoding strategies, the role of morphology and “set for… Read more

Episode 254 In this episode, we sit down with kindergarten teacher Anjanette McNeely to take a close look at one powerful instructional routine: word chaining. Anjanette walks us through exactly what word chaining looks like in her classroom, from the materials she uses to the language she says, and explains why this… Read more

We’re revisiting this episode with Matt Burns because it offers one of the clearest explanations of phonemic awareness and how it fits into reading instruction. In this conversation, Matt helps unpack what the research actually says and what that means for what we prioritize in the classroom. He explains why phonemic… Read more

Episode 253 In this episode, we talk with Marianne Rice about key findings from a Tennessee report examining how well early literacy materials align with research on phonemic awareness and early reading instruction. Marianne walks us through five essential practices that can help teachers make the most of their… Read more

Episode 252 What actually happens when students encounter a complex text? In this episode, we’re joined by Luke Morin to discuss his article " Wading Into the Deep End: What Reading Actually Requires When the Text Gets Hard ." Luke shares a powerful classroom moment where students applied reading strategies… Read more

Episode 139 As we continue our focus on comprehension this month, we’re revisiting one of our most essential conversations. In this episode, we explore a foundational truth about reading: comprehension depends on knowledge. We’re joined by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, who explains why background knowledge is… Read more

Episode 251 One of the most consistent findings in reading research is this: how much you know determines how far you can go as a reader. In this episode, we’re joined by Kelly Gallagher, author of To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff , to explore why knowledge is central to comprehension and what that means for… Read more

Episode 251 In this episode, we’re joined by Tim Rasinski, Melissa Cheesman, and Savannah Campbell , authors of The Megabook of Vocabulary , to talk about practical, classroom-ready strategies that actually work. We dig into the biggest misconceptions about vocabulary instruction, where vocabulary words should come… Read more

What does the research really say about effective vocabulary instruction—and how can we translate it into daily classroom practice? In this episode, we’re joined by literacy expert Blythe Anderson to unpack vocabulary moves grounded in research that make a measurable difference for students. From intentional word… Read more

Episode 250 In this episode, we’re joined by Margaret McKeown, a leading researcher in vocabulary and language development, to explore what effective vocabulary instruction really looks like in practice. Margaret helps us unpack common misconceptions about vocabulary teaching, including the pressure to ensure students… Read more

Episode 248 There’s a saying we hear often in literacy work: you don’t want to try to intervene your way out of a Tier 1 problem. Real change happens when classroom instruction and small-group support are aligned. In this episode, we’re joined by Kerry Cusick and Erin Sharon , two reading interventionists, who share… Read more

Episode 143 This conversation remains one of our most downloaded episodes and for good reason. As we focus this month on small-group instruction, we’re revisiting this important discussion with a team of authors who published the article Maximizing Small-Group Reading Instruction. In this episode, we explore: • Why… Read more

Episode 247 Small-group instruction can feel powerful and overwhelming at the same time. Questions about grouping, time, routines, and impact come up constantly. In this episode, we’re joined by Julia Lindsey , author of Small Groups, Big Results , to talk about what actually makes small-group instruction work. Julia… Read more

Episode 246 Fluency looks different across grade levels, but it always matters. In this special mashup episode, Melissa and Lori bring together voices from seven classroom teachers , spanning first grade through eighth grade , to show how fluency comes to life in real classrooms. Each teacher shares a best practice… Read more

Episode 245 In this episode, Melissa and Lori are joined by researchers Jake Downs and Chase Young to discuss Read Like Us , a research-backed fluency routine designed to help students reread challenging texts with purpose. Jake and Chase share the findings from their recent study, explain how the routine works in… Read more

Episode 244 Lindsay Kemeny shares her insights on effectively managing a literacy block in a primary classroom. She discusses her daily schedule, emphasizing the importance of routines in phonics instruction, close reading strategies, and writing lessons. Lindsay also highlights the importance of small group… Read more

Episode 243 Jamey Peavler discusses the importance of recognizing the varied learning needs of students in all grades! She emphasizes the distinction between comprehension and word recognition skills, advocating for differentiated instruction to better support each student's unique learning journey. Key Takeaways… Read more

Episode 242 In this episode, Carl Hendrick emphasizes the critical role of timely feedback in the educational process, highlighting how immediate responses to misconceptions can significantly enhance student learning. He discusses the challenges teachers face in providing effective feedback and the importance of… Read more

Episode 241 Nancy Hennessy and Julia Salamone discuss the often-overlooked topic of syntax and its critical role in reading comprehension. With Melissa & Lori, they discuss the architecture of sentences, the importance of understanding parts of speech, and the interconnectedness of syntax and meaning. The… Read more

Episode 240 Primary teacher Meghan Hein shares how she keeps the text front and center of learning. She discusses the shift from a skills-based focus to an approach where meaning-making drives instruction. The conversation highlights practical strategies for teachers to build knowledge through texts and create a more… Read more

Episode 37 The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode! Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the true intentions behind the Common Core State Standards and how they’ve sometimes been misinterpreted in practice.… Read more

Episode 239 Experts Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway join Melissa & Lori to tackle one of the biggest questions in teaching today: What happened to reading whole books in school? From the pull of digital distractions to the rise of skill-focused instruction, they explore why diving into full texts… Read more

Episode 238 What if the “secret sauce” to reading big words isn’t just syllables, but also morphemes? In this episode, Melissa Orkin and Alex Osburn share why morphology is essential, especially in grades 3–6, and how it bridges word reading, vocabulary, and comprehension. They dig into practical strategies for… Read more

Episode 237 Teachers know the challenge: students hit multisyllabic words and suddenly reading slows down. In this episode, researchers Jessica Toste and Brennan Chandler share research-based routines that make multisyllabic word reading easier, more automatic, and more effective. You’ll hear practical strategies… Read more

Episode 236 Catlin Goodrow discusses her role as a literacy coach and interventionist for older students, focusing on assessing student needs, implementing effective interventions, and the logistics of providing support in the classroom. She shares insights on decoding challenges, comprehension strategies, and the… Read more

Episode 235 Matt Burns discusses effective interventions for students struggling with learning. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the learning hierarchy, identifying where breakdowns occur, and matching interventions to individual student needs. The conversation highlights the significance of modeling in… Read more

Episode 234 Michelle Hosp joins us to break down the different types of literacy assessments within an MTSS framework in the most approachable way. We talk: universal screeners diagnostics progress monitoring formative assessments Most importantly, we talk about when and why to use each one. Michelle helps us shift… Read more

Episode 233 In this episode, we sit down with speech-language pathologist Linsey Jones, who’s leading groundbreaking work in her district by delivering smart, targeted, and manageable literacy interventions to kindergarten students. Linsey shares how her background in speech-language pathology led her to create a… Read more

Episode 232 We know MTSS can feel like one more acronym and maybe one more thing on your plate. But what if it was the thing that helped everything else run more smoothly instead? In this episode, we chat with Stephanie Stollar and Sarah Brown, authors of MTSS for Reading Improvement , who help us rethink what strong… Read more

Episode 231 Working with students who struggle to make sense of complex texts? You’re not alone! Christina Cover, a high school special educator, interventionist, English teacher, and literacy coordinator, is here to help! In this episode, Christina shares real-world, research-based strategies she uses to help her… Read more

Bonus Episode In this episode, Melissa and Lori sit down with Freddy Hiebert, founder of Text Project, to dive deep into the critical role texts play in reading instruction. They explore how the types of texts provided to students not only shape their reading practice but also influence their self-perception as… Read more

Episode 230 In this episode, we discuss this article and the vital role of difficult texts with three experts: Kristin Conradi-Smith, John Strong, and Steve Amendum. They explore how thoughtful scaffolding and motivation help students confidently tackle challenging materials, clarifying the difference between text… Read more

Episode 229 In this episode, Katie Pace Miles and Molly Ness define and explain orthographic mapping as a crucial cognitive process for reading fluency and comprehension. They discuss the importance of mapping words in long-term memory, the difference between memorization and mapping, and the trifecta of phonology,… Read more

Episode 228 If you’ve ever wondered how to help your students decode longer words, this episode is for you! We’re joined by literacy researcher and professor Devin Kearns to talk all about teaching multisyllabic words. Many phonics programs focus on single-syllable words, but what happens when students hit big words… Read more

Episode 227 In this episode, Jan Hasbrouck discusses the critical components of reading fluency, focusing on automaticity and its measurement through words correct per minute (WCPM). The discussion highlights the relationship between fluency and comprehension, the role of oral reading fluency in assessing student… Read more

Episode 211 from December 6, 2024 Fluency is a crucial aspect of reading. It involves automaticity and the ability to connect different aspects of word knowledge. In this episode, Maryanne Wolf and Melissa Orkin discuss: the importance of fluency in reading the factors that contribute to fluent reading the need for an… Read more

Episode 226 In this episode, Virginia discusses the importance of fluency in K-2 grades, emphasizing its role in reading comprehension. She shares strategies for teaching fluency, including within partner reading, read-alouds, and shared reading. Virginia highlights the significance of modeling fluent reading and… Read more

Episode 225 How do we turn fluency instruction into something engaging, meaningful, and effective? Fourth-grade teacher Aaron Grossman has the answer. In this episode, Aaron shares his fluency protocol, inspired by Chase Young’s work, that helps students develop prosody, comprehension, and confidence through Reader’s… Read more

Episode 209 from November 8, 2024 Chase Young discusses the implementation of Reader's Theater in the classroom, providing a detailed framework for the process. He emphasizes the importance of structured practice, fluency, and expression, as well as the benefits of engaging students in dramatic reading.… Read more

Episode 224 Helping students become fluent, confident readers isn’t always easy—especially when they’re still sounding out words and struggling with comprehension. That’s why Synchronous Paired Oral Reading Techniques (SPORT) is a game-changer. In this episode, we’re joined by Jake Downs, assistant professor at Utah… Read more

Episode 151 (from June 23, 2023) How Language Variations Shape Literacy Language and reading go hand in hand—but how can we leverage students’ linguistic strengths to support literacy? In this episode, Julie Washington, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who specializes in the intersection of… Read more

Episode 223 Antonio Fierro and Gabi Bell Jimenez break down the essentials of teaching English learners—covering the simple view of reading, oracy, and literacy instruction . English learners thrive when we amplify language, not simplify it . They explore how to build language like Legos—piece by piece—so students can… Read more

Episode 222 In this episode, teacher coach Margarita shares effective strategies for leveraging students' native languages to enhance their learning in the classroom. She discusses the importance of making cross-linguistic connections, structured routines like QSSSA for speaking, and vocabulary strategies that… Read more

Episode 221 This live podcast recording was part of the opening reception for the 2025 Literacy & Justice for All symposium in Oakland, CA on March 7 and 8. It is crucial to ensure every student becomes a proficient reader. In this live podcast, we’re diving into the amazing strides Oakland Unified School District… Read more

Episode 156 Fifth-grade teacher Sean Morrisey joins us to discuss all things vocabulary! We discuss Tier 2 and 3 words and discuss how you can strategically select words to teach using research-based approaches. We also share the importance of continuously using words in daily language and ways to use data to measure… Read more

Episode 220 In this podcast episode, you'll hear from: Kirsten Taylor, a first-grade teacher turned literacy coach in Washington, D.C., and Kory Jensen, a fourth-grade teacher in Aurora, Colorado. Kirsten shares a powerful explicit vocabulary routine she uses with her students. She explains how to engage students… Read more

Episode 155 (from July 21, 2023) Curious about how words shape learning? Join us as we chat with linguist and author Lyn Stone about vocabulary, etymology, and their impact on literacy. Lyn shares practical strategies for teaching morphology and etymology, the importance of teacher knowledge, and great resources to… Read more

Episode 219 Blythe Anderson, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University at Buffalo, discusses the importance of vocabulary instruction, specifically through the use of vocabulary talk moves. These "talk moves" are designed to promote word learning and help teachers effectively teach new… Read more

Episode 203 (from August 16, 2024) Our guests today, authors Tricia Zucker and Sonia Cabell, discuss the concept of Strive-For-Five Conversations, which emphasizes the importance of multi-turn conversations between teachers and students. They explain that the goal is to stretch conversations beyond the typical… Read more

Episode 218 is chock-full of super practical ways to implement academic talk in your classroom tomorrow! Elementary science teacher Jami Witherell shares her insights on fostering academic discourse in the classroom, emphasizing the importance of giving students time to think before they speak. She discusses practical… Read more

Episode 167: Researcher Tiffany Hogan explores the relationship between phonics and language comprehension in this episode. She shares practical ways to make these connections in the classrooms - including read-alouds, discourse, and writing. Resources Mentioned in this Episode On the Importance of Listening… Read more

Episode 217 Have you ever wondered how to get your students talking in a way that builds deeper understanding? In this episode, we chat with Jeff Zwiers , author of Academic Conversations and Next Steps with Academic Conversations , about the power of authentic discussions in the classroom. Here’s what you’ll learn: 3… Read more

Struggling to make writing click for your students? In this episode, 5th-grade teacher Elise Frank shares practical strategies to tackle the challenges of teaching writing, inspired by "A Path to Better Writing" by Steve Graham and Karen Harris . Key takeaways: Simplify the hidden processes of writing for… Read more

Steve Graham discusses the significance of writing in education, the challenges teachers face in teaching writing, and effective strategies to enhance students' writing skills. In this episode, you'll hear about: the interconnectedness of writing and reading the importance of feedback the role of handwriting… Read more

From July 22, 2022 The Writing Revolution authors, Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, share a 'revolutionary' approach to writing. The best part: It begins at the sentence level AND content knowledge drives the rigor. Moreover, there is an overlap in reading, writing, and critical thinking. What are the… Read more

What if young students could transform writing from a daunting task into an exciting journey of self-expression? In this episode, Laura Stam , a second-grade teacher from Wyoming, discusses her transformative journey in writing instruction. Struggling initially with an unstructured writing curriculum, Laura discovered… Read more

This episode highlights the close connection between reading and writing and the importance of teaching them together. Young-Suk Kim uses a structural house analogy to explain their interdependence. Karen Harris introduces the SRSD (Self-Regulated Strategy Development) model, focusing on evidence-based practices that… Read more

Melissa & Lori Love Literacy™ is a podcast for teachers. The hosts are your classroom-next-door teacher friends turned podcasters learning with you. Episodes feature top literacy experts and teachers who are putting the science of reading into practice. Melissa & Lori bridge the gap between the latest research… Read more

From 5/10/24 In this conversation, Stephanie Stollar discusses the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a framework for school improvement that helps to provide support for students with various needs. The MTSS framework focuses on using data to identify barriers to student performance and… Read more

Phonics alone won’t solve the literacy crisis. Natalie Wexler's new book: Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning advocates, which connects the science of reading to the broader science of learning. Key Points: The current reading crisis is fundamentally a… Read more

From June 22, 2021 In this episode, reading and fluency expert Tim Rasinski tells us all about effective fluency instruction! How does repeated reading build fluency instruction? Why does text difficulty level impact fluency practice? What do effective accuracy, automaticity, and expression sound like? Check out… Read more

Fluency is a crucial aspect of reading. It involves automaticity and the ability to connect different aspects of word knowledge. In this episode, Maryanne Wolf and Melissa Orkin discuss: the importance of fluency in reading the factors that contribute to fluent reading the need for an integrative approach to fluency… Read more

Secondary educators have students in their classrooms who weren’t taught to read. Because of these reading deficits, students likely have a difficult time accessing secondary texts and tasks. Our guests today, Supt. Sherry Sousa and Educator Julie Brown, discuss a secondary intervention they developed that WORKS and… Read more

Fluency is complex, especially for older students. In this episode, Janee' Butler shares: how fluency instruction looks from early grades to secondary about challenges students and teachers face, practical strategies for improving fluency, a reminder not to forget about student motivation, especially for older… Read more

From June 3, 2022 Today middle school educators from Baltimore City Public Schools join us to discuss their focus on fluency through Continuous Improvement work with fluency using HQC. What is Continuous Improvement? Why is this a useful framework? “Possibly wrong, definitely incomplete” is a mantra that resonates.… Read more

Chase Young discusses the implementation of Reader's Theater in the classroom, providing a detailed framework for the process. He emphasizes the importance of structured practice, fluency, and expression, as well as the benefits of engaging students in dramatic reading. Reader's Theater can be implemented in… Read more

The science of learning is what research says about how our brains learn. In this episode, Nathaniel Swain discusses the science of learning, emphasizing its connection with the science of reading. He shares: key mindset shifts for teachers the significance of coherent curriculum planning practical strategies like… Read more

From July 14, 2023 What if you could unlock the secrets to fluency instruction in literacy, and transform your students into confident and skilled readers? Join us as we delve into this crucial topic with Nathaniel Swain, Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University in Australia, who shares his expertise on the three… Read more

The authors of No More “Strategy of the Week”: Considerations for Connecting Comprehension Instruction Back to the Book discuss the importance of teaching comprehension strategies in a text-centered approach. They emphasize the need to move away from isolated strategy instruction and instead focus on using texts as… Read more

Imagine transforming the way you teach reading. Picture your students not just passively consuming the written word, but actively producing meaning and taking purposeful actions inspired by what they've read. This is the promise of our conversation with Doug Fisher, professor at San Diego State University and… Read more

Imagine facing not only the struggles of growing up in a challenging environment, but also battling a learning difference that went undiagnosed for years. Hear the inspiring story of Ameer Baraka as he discusses his book: Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexi a. Ameer will discuss: How he grew up in New Orleans,… Read more

From October 7, 2022 In this episode, we talk with former balanced literacy teacher and parent, Missy Purcell. She authored a blog post titled Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher . Missy writes, “ According to Nancy Young’s ladder of reading, roughly 10-15% of kids can figure out reading out with this type of instruction,… Read more

In this conversation we explore Nancy Young's infographic, "The Ladder of Reading and Writing," unpacking the complexity of learning to read and write in English. This framework helps educators grasp the diverse factors influencing how students learn. Nancy Young and Jan Hasbrouck, editors of the new… Read more

Jul 7, 2023 Today we talk about fluency and assessment with Jan Hasbrouck. She shares tips and tricks for how to to best assess and teach fluency. She also debunks frequent fluency misunderstandings and explains the scientific evidence that underlies the Hasbrouck-Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Chart . Note: During the… Read more

Nancy Hennessy and Julia Salamone discuss the importance of vocabulary and syntax in reading comprehension. They explain how vocabulary connects to reading comprehension and the different levels of word knowledge. They also emphasize the need for explicit instruction in vocabulary and the role of context in… Read more

From Aug 4, 2023 What if the key to unlocking your students' reading comprehension could be found through a deeper understanding of the intricate processes at work in their minds? Prepare to have your teaching world transformed as we journey with reading comprehension expert and acclaimed author, Nancy Hennessy.… Read more

Lindsay Kemeny discusses her book 7 Mighty Moves and the importance of teaching literacy effectively. The conversation covers the development of the 7 moves, which focus on phonemic awareness, word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Lindsay emphasizes the need for explicit and systematic instruction,… Read more

From Mar 18, 2022 How can regular fluency practice lead to fluent readers? In today’s episode, educators Lorraine Griffith and Lindsay Kemeny discuss the impact of fluency in their classrooms. Fluency is a bridge: It connects word recognition with comprehension. We dive into whole and small group fluency instruction… Read more

Our guests today, authors Tricia Zucker and Sonia Cabell, discuss the concept of Strive-For-Five Conversations, which emphasizes the importance of multi-turn conversations between teachers and students. They explain that the goal is to stretch conversations beyond the typical question-response format and aim for at… Read more

From Jul 15, 2022 Dr. Sonia Cabell, Associate Professor at Florida State University , shares the importance of both oral language and content knowledge instruction. Why? Oral language skills underlie our ability to comprehend text. At the same time, the knowledge we bring to a text is THE key determinant on how much… Read more

Heidi Anne Mesmer discusses her book Big Words for Young Readers. She emphasizes the importance of teaching young readers to decode and understand words with multiple syllables and morphemes. Heidi Anne highlights the need to teach morphemic concepts early on and provides recommendations for teaching different types… Read more

From Nov 4, 2022 Researcher Heidi Anne Mesmer joins the podcast to discuss the research on decodable text and dos and don'ts for classroom practice. Thinking about decodability as a meter from most to least decodable to the reader is important. A child who reads a text by sounding out and decoding words will… Read more

Anna Geiger, author of "Reach All Readers," joins us on the pod today. Anna takes us on a historical reading journey, from the early reading wars of the 1800s to debates between whole language and balanced literacy, up to the present Science of Reading movement. She shares her personal transition from… Read more

Episode 37 The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode! Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the true intentions behind the Common Core State Standards and how they’ve sometimes been misinterpreted in practice.… Read more

In this episode, Meredith and David Liben discuss the importance of comprehension instruction, the power of questions, and the practice of close reading. They emphasize the value of curiosity, vocabulary depth, and the features of complex text. The conversation also delves into the debate around teaching comprehension… Read more

Unlock the potential of your ELA instruction by shifting to a knowledge-rich curriculum! Join us as we sit down with David Liben, co-author of Know Better, Do Better , to hear stories about knowledge-building goodness. David highlights how incorporating vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and comprehension can bring joy… Read more

Kim Lockhart, Canadian educator, shares her top three book recommendations. The first recommendation is 'Next Steps in Literacy Instruction' by Susan Smart and Deb Glaser, which focuses on the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) model and effective interventions. The second recommendation is 'Why… Read more

Read Not Guess is a FREE program designed for parents to help their children improve their early reading skills. The lessons are short and simple, taking only 5 to 10 minutes per day. The program is email-based, with parents receiving a daily email with the lesson of the day. There are two levels available, with level… Read more

Melissa & Lori discuss questions about reading comprehension from our new book, The Literacy 50: A Q&A Handbook for Teachers , and provide research-based answers and practical suggestions. We talk about the place of sustained silent reading in the school day and the best ways to assess a student's… Read more

Melissa & Lori discuss questions about phonemic awareness from our new book, T he Literacy 50: A Q&A Handbook for Teachers . We talk about best practices for teaching phonemic awareness and whether to teach it with or without naming and showing letters. Additionally, we address the misconception that… Read more

The tables are turned on us in today's episode! Anna Geiger interviews us about our new book, The Literacy 50. You might know Anna as The Measured Mom and host of the Triple R Teaching podcast. We loved divulging why we wrote the book, how educators can use it in classrooms and schools, and we even answer some… Read more

Today's sneak peek episode gives you a behind the scenes look at why we wrote this book, the questions we answer, and resources we crafted just for you! Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com .… Read more

Unlock the potential in every multilingual learner as Claude Goldenberg, renowned professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, joins us to dispel myths and share crucial strategies in literacy education. Delve into the complexities of teaching reading to students mastering English, where educational rights… Read more

We discuss various models for teaching English learners to read with Magdalena Zavalia, CEO of the PAF Reading Program. We explore different types of models, including monolingual programs, transitional bilingual education, and dual language immersion. Magdalena emphasizes the importance of understanding… Read more

From August 5, 2022 Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan joins the podcast to share that reading science works for English Learners. What does it mean to use evidence-based instruction to teach English Learners? Dr. Cardenas-Hagan asserts that every language has its own history, its own culture, its own use. Language supports… Read more

In this conversation, Stephanie Stollar discusses the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a framework for school improvement that helps to provide support for students with various needs. The MTSS framework focuses on using data to identify barriers to student performance and making plans… Read more

In this episode, Savannah Campbell, a K-5 reading specialist, shares practical spelling tips for teachers. She emphasizes the importance of having students say the sounds or syllables as they spell, as it helps develop sound-symbol correspondence. Savannah also recommends interleaving, which involves practicing both… Read more

Pam Kastner discusses the connection between spelling and reading. She emphasizes that teaching spelling is teaching reading, as spelling is a higher linguistic skill that requires complete and accurate recall and memory for words. Spelling helps students understand the internal structure of words and improves their… Read more

From 3/4/2022 We’ve been asked about spelling and the connection to reading science more times than we can count. Today, we talk with expert J. Richard Gentry , author of Brain Words and blog contributor to Psychology Today: Raising Readers, Writers, and Spellers (An Expert Guide for Parents). He tells us all about… Read more

In this episode, Jessica Farmer shares tips for teaching heart words. She explains the importance of blending and introduces the concept of continuous blending. Jessica defines heart words as high-frequency words with irregular or temporarily irregular spellings. She emphasizes the need to follow a scope and sequence… Read more

Julie VanLier and Dr. Svetlana Cvetkovic discuss their experiences and successes teaching phonics. They both highlight the importance of a speech-to-print approach and the impact it has had on their students' reading and spelling abilities. The conversation also delves into the principles of speech to print and… Read more

From August 12, 2022 Talking with Dr. Julia Lindsey is like popping into the classroom next door to chat with your best teacher friend after school. On this podcast, Julia shares what evidence says that young readers need to know to help them decode words efficiently. We discuss foundational reading skills, starting… Read more

Yvette Manns discusses the schwa and its importance. She shares insights from her book, The Not So Lazy Schwa , and explains how it helps children understand the schwa sound. Yvette also tells all about National Schwa Day, a holiday she created to celebrate language and literacy in schools. She provides suggestions… Read more

Danielle Colenbrander and Katie Pace-Miles discuss orthographic mapping, irregular word instruction, and the different terms used to describe high frequency and irregular words. They translate research about the effectiveness of different approaches to teaching irregular words. They also discuss the role of morphology… Read more

Denise Eide, author of Uncovering the Logic of English , helps us understand the logic of English! It actually makes a lot of sense... and can help your students learn to read and spell. Takeaways English spelling and decoding can be logical and systematic when taught with complete phonics rules. All words in English… Read more

In this episode, teacher Christina Winter, better known as Mrs. Winters Bliss on Instagram, talks about the practical application of sound walls in the classroom. She provides her top 3 tips and shares how sound walls can be used in instruction. She also provides ideas for how students can interact with sound walls,… Read more

Sound wall expert Mary Dahlgren explains how sound walls differ from word walls, why it's important to teach all 44 speech sounds, and how sound walls can help students make sense of English. She shares evidence to support the use of sound walls in your classroom and gives practical advice for implementation.… Read more

Spencer Russell, a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher and the founder of Toddlers Can Read, shares his motivation for teaching reading and emphasizes the importance of simplifying the teaching process. He provides practical tips for starting with letter sounds and engaging children in fun learning activities.… Read more

In this conversation, Becky Pallone and Michael Hart discuss how their phonemic awareness instruction has evolved over time. They emphasize the importance of blending and segmenting as key skills in phonemic awareness and highlight the benefits of incorporating letters in phonemic awareness instruction. They will also… Read more

Melissa and Lori just returned from the Plain Talk About Literacy & Learning Conference in New Orleans and they will share their takeaways with YOU! Attendees called in while at the conference to share aha moments and key takeaways. You won't want to miss this one! 2024 Plain Talk Conference Presenters… Read more

Matt Burns discusses the importance of phonemic awareness in reading instruction. Phonemic awareness is an outcome of skilled reading, not a precursor, and it has a reciprocal relationship with reading. Matt also emphasizes the need to focus on decoding skills in second, third, and fourth grade, rather than solely on… Read more

Shayne Piasta discusses best practices for teaching alphabet knowledge. She tells us what the research suggests about teaching letter names and sounds, why teaching a letter of the week may not be the most effective approach, and an order to teach letters. The best part? She shares concrete ideas and strategies for… Read more

Summary In this episode, the hosts discuss the RAND Model, a heuristic for thinking about reading comprehension. The model was developed in the late 1990s by the RAND Corporation in response to a need for more research on comprehension. The model considers three main components: the reader, the text, and the purpose… Read more

Summary In this episode, Hugh Catts discusses two popular reading models: the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough's Reading Rope. The Simple View of Reading highlights the importance of word recognition and language comprehension in reading comprehension. It emphasizes that if a child struggles in one area, it… Read more

Summary In this episode, the hosts discuss the five pillars from the National Reading Panel and their history. They explore the confusion that can arise from viewing these pillars as a model of how reading works. The role of fluency and the importance of differentiating instruction for the five pillars are also… Read more

FROM MARCH 10, 2023 Today we’ll be talking to a team of authors about a recent article they published on small group instruction, titled Maximizing Small-Group Reading Instruction. We ask and answer important questions about small group instructional time: What is the appeal of small group reading instruction? Why has… Read more

Why shouldn’t we level students? Professor and researcher Kristin Conradi-Smith from episode 143 says, “We lack research for differentiation by text levels.There's simply no support for it.” Teaching with a leveled reading, sometimes known as guided reading, approach isn’t the most effective way to teach or learn… Read more

FROM FEBRUARY 24, 2023 In today’s episode, we discuss the structure and content of the literacy block. How can we teach using structured literacy in small groups? Kinder teacher Casey Jergens and author Natalie Wexler join us to connect theory and practice. Casey previously taught using a guided (leveled) reading… Read more

What does the research say about small group reading instruction? Resources Episode 142: Structured Literacy in Small Group Time Episode 143: Maximizing Small Group Reading Instruction Maximizing Small Group Reading Instruction (Conradi-Smith, Amendum, Williams, 2022) Differentiated Literacy Instruction: Boondoggle or… Read more

FROM JULY 7, 2023 Today we talk about fluency and assessment with Jan Hasbrouck. She shares tips and tricks for how to to best assess and teach fluency. She also debunks frequent fluency misunderstandings and explains the scientific evidence that underlies the Hasbrouck-Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Chart . Note :… Read more

Is your district adopting a new English language arts/literacy curriculum? Have you wondered how to tell if an ELA curriculum is “knowledge-building?” Today we’ll be talking to Barbara Davidson and Sue Pimentel about a new curriculum review tool from Knowledge Matters which can be a helpful guide when navigating the… Read more

FROM JULY 14, 2023 What if you could unlock the secrets to fluency instruction in literacy, and transform your students into confident and skilled readers? Join us as we delve into this crucial topic with Nathaniel Swain, Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University in Australia, who shares his expertise on the three… Read more

Funds of Knowledge are the skills and knowledge gained by daily routines and practices, as well as cultural and historical interactions. It’s the social and cultural “stuff” that students know through personal experiences. Background knowledge is the amount of information or knowledge someone has on a topic. Both… Read more

FROM AUGUST 4, 2023 What if the key to unlocking your students' reading comprehension could be found through a deeper understanding of the intricate processes at work in their minds? Prepare to have your teaching world transformed as we journey with reading comprehension expert and acclaimed author, Nancy… Read more

Are You Adopting a New ELA Curriculum? Where Do You Start? One place to start your curriculum adoption journey is EdReports . It’s not the ONLY place by any means, but it is a helpful jumping off point. EdReports asks educator-led review teams to use specific criteria to tell if a curricula meets, partially meets, or… Read more

From October 21, 2021 Kory Jensen is a 4th grade teacher in Colorado, obsessed with learning more about reading science! He read The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler … which set him off to learn more about knowledge building. On today’s podcast, he talks about how background knowledge impacts his students’… Read more

A curriculum evaluation tool that helps teachers, leaders, and parents, determine if a curriculum meets high quality standards or not. There are two tools we recommend for curriculum review. These tools feel complementary to each other, so we recommend using both, starting with The Reading League’s Curriculum… Read more

Today we talk to educator and author Molly Ness about intentionally planning for read-alouds. Molly will share an easy to prepare protocol for a read-aloud in any grade level or content area. Resources Molly's Website - purchase her book ! Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our… Read more

What is a read aloud? It is very common to see early childhood and elementary school teachers reading aloud to their students. But what exactly is happening during this time? In episode 170, we talk with author and professor, Molly Ness about read alouds. We share her definition along with what to look for in a read… Read more

From July 30, 2021 To connect with a practitioner lens, Duke (alongside Ward & Pearson) also penned The Science of Reading Comprehension Instruction. They ask the question: What have decades of research told us about the nature of comprehension and how to develop students’ comprehension in schools? Listen to find… Read more

W hat is dysgraphia? The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines dysgraphia as referring to difficulty with either language or spelling-based aspects of writing. Dysgraphia impairs letter writing by hand, which can affect spelling, learning to spell words, the speed of writing, reading word recognition,… Read more

Today talk to researcher Tiffany Hogan about language comprehension. We’ll start with the Simple View of Reading, exploring the relationship between phonics and language comprehension. Then we’ll discuss knowledge as the result of systematic and explicit language comprehension instruction and share approaches that… Read more

What is Developmental Language Disorder, or DLD? Developmental Language Disorder is a brain-based neurodevelopmental diversity - such as autism or dyslexia or dysgraphia. Students with DLD are six times more likely to have reading difficulties. DLD is a brain variation that makes it difficult to learn language from… Read more

From October 7, 2022 In this episode, we talk with former balanced literacy teacher and parent, Missy Purcell. She authored a blog post titled Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher . Missy writes, “ According to Nancy Young’s ladder of reading, roughly 10-15% of kids can figure out reading out with this type of instruction,… Read more

Nadine Gaab, Associate Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, joins us on the podcast to talk about how brains learn to read. Reading development starts in utero because the fundamental milestones for learning to read are sounds and language processing. Brain research shows us the brain of… Read more

From September 30, 2022 Dr. J. Richard Gentry , Dyslexia Expert and the “Guru of Spelling,” joins us on the podcast today to discuss dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability, neurobiological in origin. It’s the #1 reading disability that manifests itself in a continuum. People with dyslexia have difficulty… Read more

Ever wondered why reading isn't as natural as speech? Carolyn Strom, an accomplished early literacy expert, reveals that unlike speech, reading doesn't come naturally. In fact, it requires well-structured, explicit instruction which we'll discuss in this episode. The importance of a structured approach… Read more

Resources CleverNoodle International Dyslexia Association Gaab Lab Student Achievement Partners EdReports.org The Reed Charitable Foundation LETRS Training Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com .… Read more

From May 2022 Kim Lockhart, Canadian French immersion teacher and special educator in Kingston, Ontario, shares how she meets the needs of students in her classroom. As stated in a recent report, Right to Read inquiry report from Ontario Human Rights Commission, Ontario is removing the three cueing system completely… Read more

Listen Again from July 9, 2019: A teacher's perspective on curriculum implementation is invaluable... and today, we have not ONE, but TWO teacher perspectives on Wit & Wisdom year one implementation! Kyair and Katie are funny, smart, and have incredible learner-mindsets. They discuss the engagement of their… Read more

It's our first CALL IN EPISODE! Teachers voices are so important in this reading science movement. We asked teachers to call in and answer two questions: What is the most important thing you've learned so far about the science of reading? What is a goal you have this year connected to reading science? Listen… Read more

Crystal Lenhart is a literacy coach who developed a resource that clearly and transparently explains to families and caregivers how the school is teaching reading and writing differently with reading science research! As we head Back to School, this practical resource is a helpful tool to communicate big changes… Read more

Ever wondered how to navigate the complex world of reading research as an educator? Get ready for a great conversation with education researcher Neena Saha, who reveals the role of science in education and the importance of pseudoscience in developing theories. We delve into the significance of meta-analyses and… Read more

Ever wonder how to decipher the Science of Reading or how to evaluate a curriculum that claims to be founded on it? We've got an episode just for you. Today, we're thrilled to welcome Holly Lane, a leading expert in the field, who will help us unlock this complex topic. Holly does an incredible job of… Read more

Imagine transforming the way you teach reading. Picture your students not just passively consuming the written word, but actively producing meaning and taking purposeful actions inspired by what they've read. This is the promise of our conversation with Doug Fisher, professor at San Diego State University and… Read more

What if the key to unlocking your students' reading comprehension could be found through a deeper understanding of the intricate processes at work in their minds? Prepare to have your teaching world transformed as we journey with reading comprehension expert and acclaimed author, Nancy Hennessy. Together, we’ll… Read more

Ever thought about the power of words? Join us as we discuss our most requested topic of all time: vocabulary. We have a special guest, fifth-grade teacher Sean Morrisey. We discuss Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary words and discuss how you can strategically select words to teach using research-based approaches. We also share… Read more

Ever wondered how the fascinating world of words impacts our lives? Join us as we sit down with linguist and author Lyn Stone, who shares her insights about vocabulary and etymology. Through her expertise, we explore the powerful impact on learning outcomes and literacy development. In this engaging discussion, we… Read more

What if you could unlock the secrets to fluency instruction in literacy, and transform your students into confident and skilled readers? Join us as we delve into this crucial topic with Nathaniel Swain, Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University in Australia, who shares his expertise on the three components of fluency:… Read more

Today we talk about fluency and assessment with Jan Hasbrouck. She shares tips and tricks for how to to best assess and teach fluency. She also debunks frequent fluency misunderstandings and explains the scientific evidence that underlies the Hasbrouck-Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Chart . Note : During the podcast, we… Read more

What if we told you that the science of reading is just as applicable to multilingual learners as it is to monolingual English speakers? Today, we had the pleasure of discussing this topic with Claude Goldenberg, professor emeritus of education at Stanford University. Claude shared his insights on the importance of… Read more

In today’s episode, Julie Washington discusses how literacy learning can be supported by language variations. Reading and language are intertwined. Reading influences language and language influences reading. It’s a reciprocal process! How can we, as educators and practitioners, leverage students’ strengths in… Read more

Secondary educators have students in their classrooms who weren’t taught to read. Because of these reading deficits, students likely have a difficult time accessing secondary texts and tasks. Our guests today, Supt. Sherry Sousa and Educator Julie Brown, discuss a secondary intervention they developed that WORKS and… Read more

We talked with the fabulously candid Tim Shanahan about his recent blog post Prior Knowledge, or He Isn't Going to Pick on the Baseball Study that garnered much attention. Should we teach reading strategies? How important is building knowledge? What are reading skills vs. strategies? How frequent should strategy… Read more

Our conversation today illuminates a hot topic in reading - skills and strategies. What’s the difference? Peter Afflerbach, researcher and professor, shares in the podcast that he and his colleagues surveyed educators and “ten people would give us ten different answers. They were all kind of related, but all… Read more

We had the opportunity to talk (again!) with Natalie Wexler about tips for effective remote learning (read her full article located here ), the current intersection of students' virtual learning and strategy-focused instruction (due to lack of knowledge-based, high quality curricula) and how parents are noticing!… Read more

What is Phonemic Awareness? It’s one component of your literacy instruction. Phonemic awareness means understanding that spoken words are made of individual sounds called phonemes. We want students to be able to isolate, blend, segment, and more. Can it be ‘done in the dark’? Or should we teach phonemic awareness with… Read more

Why is teaching reading so important? Melissa and Lori have a conversation with Louisa Moats grounded in this article: Teaching Reading is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. Moats asserts that 95% of students can learn to read when taught to do so using evidence-based… Read more

In this episode, we’ll discuss an approach to teaching foundational skills known as speech to print. The speech to print approach consists of 4 concepts with consistent logic: Letters spell sounds (alphabetic principle) Sounds can be represented by one or more letters Sounds can be spelled different ways Spellings can… Read more

Dr. Sonia Cabell, Associate Professor at Florida State University , shares the importance of both oral language and content knowledge instruction. Why? Oral language skills underlie our ability to comprehend text. At the same time, the knowledge we bring to a text is THE key determinant on how much we understand that… Read more

Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), asserts that reading comprehension is NOT a skill. Yes, good readers use reading skills and strategies to make meaning. But good readers also have a robust knowledge base. There is strong evidence to support knowledge building ELA curriculum,… Read more

In this episode, researcher Hugh Catts discusses his pivotal piece titled Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension | American Federation of Teachers . He asserts, “Reading comprehension is thinking with a book in your hand.” There are three factors that impact reading comprehension: the reader, the text, and… Read more

Pamela Snow, professor at Latrobe University in Australia, discusses the arguments that keep surfacing when educators are resistant to move away from balanced literacy. You might have heard a few: Systematic phonics teaching is just for Tier 2. The goal of balanced literacy is for children to love reading. Explicit… Read more

In this episode, Melissa and Lori have a candid discussion about change with Kareem Weaver, co-founder of FULCRUM Oakland : Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate. FULCRUM’s goal is to ensure that every Oakland child is an 'on-time' reader provided with full LITERACY: a fundamental civil right, a… Read more

We want the shift to reading science to be permanent, not perceived as another ‘educational pendulum swing.’ To do this, it’s necessary to recognize what worked and didn’t work within balanced literacy. Today’s guests, UnboundEd’s Lacey Robinson and The Right to Read Project’ s Margaret Goldberg, both shifted from… Read more

Episode 37 The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode! Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the true intentions behind the Common Core State Standards and how they’ve sometimes been misinterpreted in practice.… Read more

Today we’ll be talking to a team of authors about a recent article they published on small group instruction, titled Maximizing Small-Group Reading Instruction. We ask and answer important questions about small group instructional time: What is the appeal of small group reading instruction? Why has it been popular?… Read more

In this episode, Lindsay Kemeny, 2nd grade teacher , gives a deep dive into her evidence-based, small group instruction time. Her journey to the science of reading was necessary and life altering. It led her to clarity on structured, systematic approaches to teaching reading. She discusses informal and formal… Read more

In today’s episode, we discuss the structure and content of the literacy block. How can we teach using structured literacy in small groups? Kinder teacher Casey Jergens and author Natalie Wexler join us to connect theory and practice. Casey previously taught using a guided (leveled) reading approach with lots of small… Read more

Ep. 22: Dr. Sonja Santelises joined us to discuss why she saw the urgent need for change in Baltimore City Public Schools, how she set and supported a clear literacy focus through the Blueprint for Success and high-quality curricula, and the ongoing next steps that prevail. She is witty and sharp, but most of all, we… Read more

What does it take to disrupt the "way it has always been done"? Dr. Ernie Ortiz, Senior Literacy Engagement Specialist with AIM Institute for Learning and Research, joins us to discuss this important question. As a former teacher, school leader, and current national leader, he realizes that leaders play a… Read more

We’re joined by two dedicated early grade teachers from Vista Peak Exploratory in Aurora, CO—April Evans (Grade 1) and Danielle Hunter (Grade 3). They share their journey toward more effective literacy instruction and discuss how intentional teaching practices build student engagement, knowledge, and community. Hear… Read more

In today’s episode, we talk with a teacher and interventionist from Blount County, TN, Erin Metz. She provides an in depth walkthrough of her district’s K-2 instructional block time. She’ll share her strategic approach to working with students and teachers during small group instructional time - modeling how to use… Read more

LISTEN AGAIN | FROM JULY 31, 2019 Today we are live with Natalie Wexler, the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System–And How to Fix It (LISTENERS - IT’S AVAILABLE TODAY!). The book focuses on the lack of content in the elementary curriculum and its connection to what is… Read more

In today’s episode, we discuss knowledge and vocabulary as critical components of reading comprehension. We hear from author and professor Daniel Willingham, who shares research on the important role knowledge plays in comprehension. We also talk with Executive Director of Knowledge Matters Campaign, Barbara Davidson,… Read more

Ep. 115: Kindergarten TEAM Reaches (nearly) 100% Success Using Evidence-Based Practices Kristin Poppens IS BACK! In this episode, she shares the power of teacher teamwork and collaboration. Her Kindergarten teammates and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) join her to explain how they use evidence-based practices to… Read more

Ep. 113: Reading is Rocket Science with Louisa Moats Why is teaching reading so important? Melissa and Lori have a conversation with Louisa Moats grounded in this article: Teaching Reading is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. Moats asserts that 95% of students can learn to… Read more

Ep. 108: From 13% to 100% Literacy Proficiency with School Leader Angie Hanlin Angie Hanlin, current Superintendent in Wisconsin, led her former school from 13% to 100% reading proficiency. How? Angie shifted the focus from TEACHING to LEARNING. She worked alongside her school teams with a relentless, laser-like focus… Read more

Ep. 117: The Writing Revolution with Authors Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler The Writing Revolution authors, Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, share a 'revolutionary' approach to writing. The best part: It begins at the sentence level AND content knowledge drives the rigor. Moreover, there is an overlap… Read more

Ep. 120: Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills with Julia Lindsey Talking with Dr. Julia Lindsey is like popping into the classroom next door to chat with your best teacher friend after school. On this podcast, Julia shares what evidence says that young readers need to know to help them decode words… Read more

Today we’ll be sharing what you can expect for 2023! We’re so excited to have created such an incredible community of educators who want to learn more about reading and writing. We really mean this. There are so many of you listening out there… around the world. Thank you for listening and learning with us! What will… Read more

In today’s Feel Good Friday episode, we talk with Shaheer Mustafa, President and CEO of Hopewell Inc, and Amy Schneider, vice president, program impact and strategy at HopeWell . They will share more about a program called RISE (Readiness, Inquiry, Scholarship, Education) that builds early literacy skills and more for… Read more

In today’s Feel Good Friday episode, we talk with Deidra Mayberry, Executive Director of the nonprofit, Reading to New Heights , which brings attention to adult literacy as a critical issue in our society. Growing up, she was a struggling reader. This led her to establish her nonprofit which supports building literacy… Read more

In today's Feel Good Friday episode, we talk with Steven Shadel, Director of Great Minds Virtual School. He tells us about effective virtual learning experiences and how those experiences look very much like a typical in-person school experience. In both settings with high quality materials, educators can engage… Read more

In this episode, we talk with a team of educators who made Eureka Math Squared decodable, readable, and accessible for all students. As students access math, their deficits in reading can get in the way. Eureka Math Squared helps students have equity in math to engage in grade level work and feel empowered. All… Read more

In this episode, we talk with first grade teacher, April Evans, about how she uses Tier 1 foundational skills assessment data to make decisions about small group time, such as how students are grouped, what happens during small group instruction, and why all students have access to readable, knowledge building texts.… Read more

Pun intended. This episode takes us into the world of Geodes - decodable readers that bridge foundational skills and Wit and Wisdom ELA - through building knowledge and accessible text. Melissa and Lori talk with Lorraine Griffith and Emily Gula, who share the research and insight behind the development of Geodes and… Read more

Primary Teachers: This one’s for YOU! Today we talk with educator, author, and business-owner Elise Lovejoy about decodable texts. What makes texts decodable? What makes quality decodable texts? What’s the purpose of decodable texts? How can we use decodable texts in the classroom? Listen and learn as we discuss all… Read more

Researcher Heidi Anne Mesmer joins the podcast to discuss the research on decodable text and dos and don'ts for classroom practice. Thinking about decodability as a meter from most to least decodable to the reader is important. A child who reads a text by sounding out and decoding words will experience a… Read more

DJ Bolger, a neuroscientist and associate professor at the University of Maryland College Park, joins the podcast today. DJ helps us understand the dyslexia brain a bit better, shares how dyslexia is so much more than “one” thing, and provides helpful analogies and ideas for application. He defines dyslexia,… Read more

Trauma impacts every facet of our being. Today we’ll hear from educator and author, Dr. Melissa Sadin. As part of our Dyslexia Awareness month series, Dr. Sadin will share her personal story about how trauma and reading affected her family. Trauma can get in the way of the brain learning to read but we can help our… Read more

In celebration of Emily Hanford's new documentary series, Sold a Story , listen again to Emily Hanford here! Today Emily Hanford joins Melissa and Lori to define the Science of Reading, addressing the current misinterpretation of the term and what it really means. She shares thoughts on teacher prep programs and… Read more

As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen again to Dr. Steven Dykstra discuss the devastating effects on students who have not received the instruction they need to be successful readers. April 1, 2022 The axis of rating trauma is frequent and repetitive. Over time, the chronic trauma wears down kids who… Read more

In this episode, we talk with Sydney Bassard, a clinical speech language pathologist, also known as The Listening SLP . Inspired by her brother’s experience with dyslexia, she became a speech language pathologist and began advocating within her community so educators and parents can be informed and actualize reading… Read more

In this episode, we talk with former balanced literacy teacher and parent, Missy Purcell. She authored a blog post titled Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher . Missy writes, “ According to Nancy Young’s ladder of reading, roughly 10-15% of kids can figure out reading out with this type of instruction, but my child, who… Read more

As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen to a previous episode with parent and advocate Brett Tingley. March 25, 2022 Brett Tingley shares how to harness parent energy and expertise to address the legal and moral responsibility of school districts to teach children how to read using science. Our Dyslexic… Read more

As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen to a previous episode with parent and advocate Katie Hickerson. September 24, 2021 “I just thought kids learned how to read… and my daughter didn’t. She could identify 4 letters by the end of kindergarten .” Katie Hickerson's daughter, Cora, went from a… Read more

As part of our Dyslexia Awareness Month series, listen to a previous episode with parent and advocate Liz Hembling. November 24, 2020 Liz Hembling's daughter, Mia, attended a public elementary school. Liz noticed early on that she struggled terribly learning to read. In second grade, the school placed Mia in a… Read more

Today we have a special episode featuring four parents from all over the United States. One thing they have in common is that they have children with dyslexia. They are courageously sharing their stories as reading science advocates working for systemic change. Resources Dyslexia-specific Resources: International… Read more

Dr. J. Richard Gentry , Dyslexia Expert and the “Guru of Spelling,” joins us on the podcast today to discuss dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability, neurobiological in origin. It’s the #1 reading disability that manifests itself in a continuum. People with dyslexia have difficulty in accurate fluent… Read more

In this coming Friday's episode we get to talk to the fabulous Richard Gentry again! This time we talk to him about dyslexia to kick off a series of episodes for Dyslexia Awareness Month. Until then, listen to our first episode with Richard Gentry about the importance of spelling! March 4, 2022 We’ve been asked… Read more

Virginia Delegate, Carrie Coyner, and University of Virginia Professor, Emily Solari, championed action for a bill (now a law ) that put $70 million towards changing colleges of education, professional learning for educators, and curriculum and materials to align to reading science across the state of Virginia. On… Read more

Andrew Watson, educator and author of Learning and the Brain Blog and the book The Goldilocks Map , teaches us how to become healthy skeptics. Cognitive science and literacy intersect as we are inundated with information about reading science, curricular materials, motivation strategies and more. As we learn to… Read more

This episode with Lior Klirs connects to Ep. 124: Innovative Assessment with the Louisiana Assessment Team. If you haven't heard this one yet, definitely listen! From original episode (5/6/22) This episode is the first in a series on a really important topic: Assessment. How can we debunk the idea of… Read more

Louisiana is a state taking assessment to the next level. In this episode, the assessment team from the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) discusses Innovative Assessments. Reading comprehension is often assessed through cold reads and sometimes familiar topics. The LDOE team tells us how we can change our… Read more

Diana Leddy of the Vermont Writing Collaborative joins Melissa and Lori to talk about a topic we love: Writing. Specifically, Diana discusses a simple, easy to use tool used to support students with expository writing called The Painted Essay . The Painted Essay works because it helps students understand visually what… Read more

Today Melissa and Lori talk with authors Chase Young, David Paige, and Timothy V. Rasinski, authors of the book, Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading . Teaching artfully means teaching authentically, aesthetically, and creatively. This book shares how to teach the five pillars of reading (phonemic awareness,… Read more

Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading by Chase Young, David Paige, and Timothy Rasinski is a next step for educators steeped in the science. When we understand reading research and science, we can add art and creativity to the learning space. What does it mean to teach artfully? How can we creatively approach… Read more

Melissa and Lori received a question from a listener about classroom objectives. The listener was grappling with the idea that she has to post objectives in her classroom, but they often don't match what reading science tells us about how we teach reading. This question requires us to rethink about "meeting… Read more

If you loved our recent episode with Julia Lindsey about her book, Reading Above the Fray, you won't want to miss our first episode with her last year! Check it out! From Sept 10, 2021 What are we aiming to accomplish in early reading instruction? Dr. Julia Lindsey asks this as she tackles topics such as… Read more

If you loved our recent episode with Julia Lindsey about her book, Reading Above the Fray, you won't want to miss our first episode with her last year! Check it out! From Sept 3, 2021 What are we aiming to accomplish in early reading instruction? Dr. Julia Lindsey asks this as she tackles topics such as decoding,… Read more

Talking with Dr. Julia Lindsey is like popping into the classroom next door to chat with your best teacher friend after school. On this podcast, Julia shares what evidence says that young readers need to know to help them decode words efficiently. We discuss foundational reading skills, starting with oral language and… Read more

Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills is a must read for all ELA educators Pre-K through 12. Dr. Julia Lindsey outlines the essentials of how children learn to read, the principles of high-quality foundational skills instruction, essential instructional… Read more

Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan joins the podcast to share that reading science works for English Learners. What does it mean to use evidence-based instruction to teach English Learners? Dr. Cardenas-Hagan asserts that every language has its own history, its own culture, its own use. Language supports literacy, and literacy… Read more

Literacy Foundations for English Learners prepares educators to enter the classroom with a full understanding of the language and literacy development of English Learners. Remember this: What's good for English Learners is good for ALL students! In this book talk, Melissa and Lori unpack the elements of an… Read more

In this episode, researcher Hugh Catts discusses his pivotal piece titled Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension | American Federation of Teachers . He asserts, “Reading comprehension is thinking with a book in your hand.” There are three factors that impact reading comprehension: the reader, the text, and… Read more

The Writing Revolution authors, Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, share a 'revolutionary' approach to writing. The best part: It begins at the sentence level AND content knowledge drives the rigor. Moreover, there is an overlap in reading, writing, and critical thinking. What are the principles of The… Read more

Melissa and Lori talk about The Writing Revolution by Dr. Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler. What distinguishes The Writing Revolution and everything else out there? There are two basic principles: To modulate the heavy cognitive load by beginning at the sentence level. To embed the writing activities into core… Read more

Dr. Sonia Cabell, Associate Professor at Florida State University , shares the importance of both oral language and content knowledge instruction. Why? Oral language skills underlie our ability to comprehend text. At the same time, the knowledge we bring to a text is THE key determinant on how much we understand that… Read more

Kristin Poppens IS BACK! In this episode, she shares the power of teacher teamwork and collaboration. Her Kindergarten teammates and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) join her to explain how they use evidence-based practices to reach 100% success for Every Single Student. All means all! For resources mentioned in this… Read more

Listen Again Kristin is coming back this Friday, and she is bringing a WHOLE TEAM with her! If you haven't listened to her first episode with us from last summer, listen NOW to hear about all that she learned and implemented before hearing how she worked with others to bring that learning beyond her classroom.… Read more

Donna Hejtmanek, teacher and lifelong literacy advocate, joins Melissa and Lori on the podcast. What does Science of Reading really mean? There’s some misinformation and misunderstandings happening recently around the term - some are equating it to phonics. But, Donna asserts, it’s so much more than that! It’s Science… Read more

Why is teaching reading so important? Melissa and Lori have a conversation with Louisa Moats grounded in this article: Teaching Reading is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. Moats asserts that 95% of students can learn to read when taught to do so using evidence-based… Read more

In this episode, Melissa and Lori have a candid discussion about change with Kareem Weaver, co-founder of FULCRUM Oakland : Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate. FULCRUM’s goal is to ensure that every Oakland child is an 'on-time' reader provided with full LITERACY: a fundamental civil right, a… Read more

From Lori: The Vermont Writing Collaborative authors and educators remind us that kids need to have deep knowledge of the subject matter that they’re writing about… Science of Writing. This episode also gets me really excited for an episode coming out this summer focused on writing, where we talk about how to extract… Read more

From Melissa: I love this episode because Nell Duke shares two messages about the Science of Reading that are crucial! 1) That the science is always evolving and will continue to evolve and 2) that the Science of Reading includes comprehension and making meaning of texts! Listen again or for the first time! Did you… Read more

Melissa and Lori share more about themselves... how their undergrad and graduate coursework didn’t prepare them to teach students to read, a bit about their teaching and leadership experiences, and of course, why they started the podcast! Bonus content: They ask and answer Five Things You Love and play Two Truths and… Read more

Today middle school educators from Baltimore City Public Schools join us to discuss their focus on fluency through Continuous Improvement work with fluency using HQC. What is Continuous Improvement? Why is this a useful framework? “Possibly wrong, definitely incomplete” is a mantra that resonates. The educators share… Read more

Kim Lockhart, Canadian French immersion teacher and special educator in Kingston, Ontario, shares how she meets the needs of students in her classroom. As stated in a recent report, Right to Read inquiry report from Ontario Human Rights Commission, Ontario is removing the three cueing system completely from all… Read more

Angie Hanlin, current Superintendent in Wisconsin, led her former school from 13% to 100% reading proficiency. How? Angie shifted the focus from TEACHING to LEARNING. She worked alongside her school teams with a relentless, laser-like focus on data, asking questions such as: Who is making progress? Who’s not? What are… Read more

The authors of Thinking Reading: What Every Secondary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading , James and Dianne Murphy, join Melissa and Lori to discuss secondary struggling readers. Where do secondary educators start with struggling students? Put simply, there are two parts to intervention: learning and practice (for… Read more

Join Melissa and Lori for their first Book Club episode! In this episode, they discuss the book Thinking Reading: What Every Secondary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading . They focus their discussion on Chapter 4: Helping struggling readers in the secondary classroom , and Chapter 6: What does it take for effective… Read more

This episode is the first in a series on a really important topic: Assessment. How can we debunk the idea of ‘standards-aligned assessments’? What about ‘standards-aligned report cards’? Today’s guest teaches us that when we overfocus on the format of an assessment (i.e. the standards), we miss out on what matters… Read more

In today’s episode we’re joined by two teachers from Skaneateles, NY - Seth and Kelly. Seth is a sixth grade ELA teacher and Kelly is a middle school librarian. They work together to ensure that all students have access to complex texts. With the right support, they believe that all students can engage in grade level… Read more

Episode Description Pentucket Regional School District transitioned from balanced literacy programs to teaching and learning with structured literacy and reading science. Coaches and leaders used data to support educators in understanding the purpose of the transition. They unpacked why the materials were different… Read more

In today’s episode, we drop some knowledge with one of our favorite teachers, Heidi Jane. You might recognize her as Droppin Knowledge With Heidi on Instagram or LearningWithHeidi on TikTok ! What’s the difference between sight words and heart words? How does knowing letter sounds help students when they begin… Read more

This is the time when many districts are engaged in the curriculum adoption process, so we wanted to put this extremely information episode out for listeners who may have missed it. Cory Epler, CAO at Nebraska DOE, speaks about how they encourage the use of EdReports in episode 101. Visit our website and subscribe to… Read more

Nebraska Dept of Education CAO, Cory Epler, joins us today to share why and how Nebraska transitioned to reading science with HQM. In the course of eight years, the state formed a partnership with EdReports and The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), built transparency of HQM in Local Education Agencies… Read more

The axis of rating trauma is frequent and repetitive. Over time, the chronic trauma wears down kids who can’t read. This has devastating effects. In our official 100th episode, Dr. Steven Dyskstra discusses Trauma and Reading . He explains the connection between not being taught to read using evidence-based practices… Read more

Brett Tingley shares how to harness parent energy and expertise to address the legal and moral responsibility of school districts to teach children how to read using science. Our Dyslexic Children tells the story of a group of parents who took on the system, and won. The nonprofit group shares a Strategic Roadmap… Read more

Last Friday, we talked about FLUENCY with a couple great guests, Lindsay Kemeny and Lorraine Griffith. If you haven't listened to our episode with Tim Rasinski from last summer, give it a listen to add to your knowledge about fluency! From Original Show Notes: In this episode, reading and fluency expert Tim… Read more

How can regular fluency practice lead to fluent readers? In today’s episode, educators Lorraine Griffith and Lindsay Kemeny discuss the impact of fluency in their classrooms. Fluency is a bridge: It connects word recognition with comprehension. We dive into whole and small group fluency instruction with simple… Read more

In this episode, we chat with our friends at UnboundEd about Going GLEAM. Lacey Robinson and Andrea Hancock share the GLEAM process - grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful - and ways that educators can feel empowered to lead from their seat. Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us!… Read more

We’ve been asked about spelling and the connection to reading science more times than we can count. Today, we talk with expert J. Richard Gentry , author of Brain Words and blog contributor to Psychology Today: Raising Readers, Writers, and Spellers (An Expert Guide for Parents). He tells us all about spelling and how… Read more

Is your district in the process of choosing a new literacy curriculum? Or have you recently gone through the process? Adopting new curriculum is a huge change and involves shifting mindsets at all levels. In today’s episode, we talk with two district leaders and learners doing exciting work with evidence-based, high… Read more

Today we talk with Faith Borkowsky about her book, “ If only I would have known… “ What I wish the Pediatrician, the Preschool Teacher, and the Librarian would have told me about Language, Literacy, and Dyslexia . This accessible book explains the science of reading in simple terms. Check out Ifonlybooks.com for free… Read more

Tre Hadrick, father, guidance counselor, reading science advocate, and book club leader, joins us on the pod today. You might know him as Mr. Lit on Twitter or Instagram , where he advocates for literacy and justice for all. Tre’s book club, Lit Champs (Dad’s Literacy Book Club ), gained attention when he posted a… Read more

Hi Literacy Lovers! This week we wanted to offer you all a chance to listen to one of our favorite episodes from when we just started the podcast. The absolutely incredible and inspirational Emily Hanford drops a TON of information in this episode, so it's worth another listen if it's been a while. We hope… Read more

We’re joined by two dedicated early grade teachers from Vista Peak Exploratory in Aurora, CO—April Evans (Grade 1) and Danielle Hunter (Grade 3). They share their journey toward more effective literacy instruction and discuss how intentional teaching practices build student engagement, knowledge, and community. Hear… Read more

David Liben joins us again to discuss how to improve reading for older students. How can teachers help older students with unfinished literacy learning? How can teachers address foundational skills and fluency for older readers? Are decodables appropriate for older students? What is the role of independent reading?… Read more

David Liben joins us again to discuss how to improve reading for older students. How can teachers help older students with unfinished literacy learning? How can teachers address foundational skills and fluency for older readers? Are decodables appropriate for older students? What is the role of independent reading?… Read more

In this episode, Melissa and Lori connect with James Dobson, an educator who has been teaching for more than a decade in Australia. He has worked as a classroom teacher, lead teacher, literacy learning specialist, and principal. We discuss his blog post titled Laying the Foundations, One Teacher’s Journey . James… Read more

One of our listener's questions prompted Melissa & Lori to have a conversation about complex texts and ways students can access them. What does the research say? What are practical ways to apply it? How could this look in the classroom? The first part of this episode illuminates a conversation with Melissa… Read more

In today’s episode, Kate Winn, a teacher, freelance writer and TV guest, and wife and mom to two girls, joins us on the podcast to share how after 20 years of teaching, she learned about the science of reading! She wrote this piece for Today’s Parent, titled I’m a kindergarten teacher and the way I’ve been teaching… Read more

Today we talk with National Council on Teacher Quality’s Hannah Putman, Managing Director/Research , who penned a piece titled Getting Districts and Teacher Prep on the Same Page on Reading Pays Off . This research from CALDER sparked Hannah’s piece. She shared there is a disconnect in what teachers are learning in… Read more

Jenn David-Lang is truly a Mastermind! Her strategic, structured, and supportive virtual Professional Learning Communities help school leaders grapple and tackle lots of difficult topics, ranging from How can leaders support student engagement during a pandemic? to How can leaders create space for teacher wellbeing?… Read more

It’s GIVING TUESDAY, and if you’re a Literacy Lover like us, then what better way to show your literacy love than to donate to The Truth About Reading documentary ? We caught up with the team for a second podcast to react to the teaser and hear about the journey they’ve taken since we last spoke with them. And, be… Read more

Natalie Wexler once said that parents are the sleeping giants in this reading science movement . The parents in Minneapolis Public Schools are awake and ready! They are passionate, informed advocates who developed a coalition of families willing to speak out and say, “Our kids deserve access to structured literacy.… Read more

In today’s episode, we talk with special educator Katie Overstreet, who responded to a social media post with unwavering belief in her students and a can-do attitude. Her response stood out to us for so many reasons… such as the tangible ways she removes barriers for her students and her use of scaffolding techniques… Read more

Natalie Wexler once said that parents are the sleeping giants in this reading science movement . The parents in Minneapolis Public Schools are awake and ready! They are passionate, informed advocates who developed a coalition of families willing to speak out and say, “Our kids deserve access to structured literacy.… Read more

Sheeba Jacob’s blog post caught our attention when she wrote, “ While I could see myself in some of these books because of universal experiences like grief and love, limiting the reading experience to a few specific voices subconsciously taught me that only certain voices mattered.” Two things are true: Texts are at… Read more

In this episode, Lindsay Kemeny, 2nd grade teacher , gives a deep dive into her evidence-based, small group instruction time. Her journey to the science of reading was necessary and life altering. It led her to clarity on structured, systematic approaches to teaching reading. She discusses informal and formal… Read more

In this episode we talked with UnboundED’s Brandon White and Alice Wiggins about the Equitable ELA Instruction Concept Paper. In our conversation, we’ll discuss effective and equitable instruction and the most efficient path to access it. This requires us, as educators, to do three things: Adopt an aligned curriculum.… Read more

Kory Jensen is a 4th grade teacher in Colorado, obsessed with learning more about reading science! He read The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler … which set him off to learn more about knowledge building. On today’s podcast, he talks about how background knowledge impacts his students’ comprehension and engagement… Read more

Today we talk with author and professor Dr. Morgan Polikoff. His first book, Beyond Standards: The Fragmentation of Education Governance and the Promise of Curriculum Reform , provides insights along the rocky road of standards in education. The goal of the standards movement is consistency, as page 39 states,… Read more

Francine Grannell and John Lawrence, leaders from Skaneateles School District, share how they narrowed their focus to strategically support teachers and students with year one Wit & Wisdom ELA implementation. Educators used NY State Briefs (like this one on Complex Texts ) to understand and thoughtfully engage in… Read more

Mitchell Brookins, education consultant extraordinaire (and one of the moderators of the wildly popular Facebook group Science of Reading - What I Should Have Learned in College ) talks with us about this article, titled Teaching Reading to African American Children: When Home and School Language Differ by Julie A.… Read more

“I just thought kids learned how to read… and my daughter didn’t. She could identify 4 letters by the end of kindergarten .” Katie Hickerson's daughter, Cora, went from a joyous little one to a child with lots of big feelings after starting school, saying she felt stupid. Katie pulled Cora out of school to be… Read more

Take time to notice. Brendan O’Day shares an important message for educators - Start by noticing: Slow down and bring back the joy of schooling . He tells the story of preparing soon-to-be leaders, guiding them skillfully to seek curiosity rather than judgement. We realize this school year is unlike any other. Brendan… Read more

Matt Hoganson, Assistant Principal in Aurora, CO, is committed to unthinking and thinking again… or in other words, "in a turbulent world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn.” In the book Think Again , author and psychologist Adam Grant… Read more

What are we aiming to accomplish in early reading instruction? Dr. Julia Lindsey asks this as she tackles topics such as decoding, decodable texts , sound walls, and more. We discuss the role of instruction and how that pushes a child to be better instead of keeping them at the same place where they might not develop… Read more

What are we aiming to accomplish in early reading instruction? Dr. Julia Lindsey asks this as she tackles topics such as decoding, decodable texts , sound walls, and more. We discuss the role of instruction and how that pushes a child to be better instead of keeping them at the same place where they might not develop… Read more

In today's episode, Melissa and Lori break down the components of Wit & Wisdom ELA. Curious about Wit & Wisdom's texts and tasks? Wondering what 'integrated approach' means? Want to learn more about the role of knowledge building in comprehension? Implementing the curricula for the first… Read more

Dr. Alfred Tatum asked the question, "I constantly ask myself of all of the texts in the world, why do I want to put this text in front of my students?" Melissa and Lori explore this question with Quintin in today's episode! Dr. Quintin Bostic joins us to tell us all about Student Achievement… Read more

Melissa and Lori are obsessed with the knowledge building connection to writing in this episode, and thought it deserved another release! How can educators support students in clearly communicating their understanding through writing? How do HQIM support and execute this approach to writing for understanding? The… Read more

In this episode we talk with David Chalk, a successful and self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur. As an adult, David was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD and learned to read at the age of 62. He shares 'aha' moments and how learning to read decreased his anxiety and bettered his emotional state. Look forward to… Read more

Did you know that Scarborough's Rope is 20 years old?! That's why Nell K. Duke unpacks how the science of reading has progressed over the last 20 years, moving beyond the simple view of reading in this piece: The Science of Reading Progresses (co-authored by Kelly B. Cartwright). Check out page 9 for a… Read more

Join us as we talk with the talented team passionate about producing a literacy documentary titled The Truth About Reading: The Invisible Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight. You'll hear from Nora Chahbazi, founder of Evidence-based Literacy Instruction , Nick Nanton , Emmy-winning director, and John Corcoran , the… Read more

James Murphy, editor, tells us about the intention behind The ResearchED Guide to Literacy : An Evidence-Informed Guide for Teachers. He talks about why it's important for teachers to engage with <accurate, valid> research because "we don't know what we don't know" ... and how it's… Read more

Episode 37 The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode! Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the true intentions behind the Common Core State Standards and how they’ve sometimes been misinterpreted in practice.… Read more

Kristin Poppens teaches kindergarten in Iowa and is just learning about the science of reading! In fact, she's applied evidence-based, self-taught practices for less than six months, and her students reached end of year benchmarks with 100% success rate. Kristin's district uses Lucy Calkins Units of Study… Read more

In this episode, reading and fluency expert Tim Rasinski tells us all about effective fluency instruction! How does repeated reading build fluency instruction? Why does text difficulty level impact fluency practice? What do effective accuracy, automaticity, and expression sound like? Check out research, articles, and… Read more

In today's episode, Alex Spurrier, a senior analyst with Bellwether Education Partners in the policy and evaluation practice area, discusses his recent contribution to The 74: Curriculum Isn't Infrastructure - But States Should Treat It as Such and Build a Strong Foundation for Student Learning . How can… Read more

Crystal Gonzales is the Executive Director at English Learners Success Forum and believes that HQIM are the first step to provide equity for all learners, especially English Learners! Why? Because HQIM are developed with the idea that what's good for English Learners is good for all kids (but, the reverse is not… Read more

Sarah Webb talks candidly about how high quality instructional materials (HQIM) supported her as a teacher in helping all students reach greatness. Specifically, high quality materials were most helpful for English Learners... who often don't receive access to such materials. Sarah zooms in on how HQIM are… Read more

Tiffany Rehbein, K-12 English Language Arts Coordinator from Laramie County School District in Cheyenne, Wyoming shares why and how the district shifted to HQIM. After seven years of stagnant ELA scores and a focus on balanced literacy, she and her colleagues knew it was time for a big change! They did their homework… Read more

As a new teacher in Sumner County, TN, Natalie Baggett saw the desperate need for high quality instructional materials. In her first semester teaching, she scrambled to create instructional materials - searching Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, even Google! Then, she piloted and implemented Wit & Wisdom ELA and… Read more

What are The Elements needed to transform teaching and professional learning? What will accelerate success towards equity and excellence? What are considerations for professional learning across the school year (and beyond)? These questions are answered by our expert guests, Jim Short and Stephanie Hirsh, authors of… Read more

Kymyona Burk is the Policy Director for Early Education at ExcelinEd , where she supports states pursuing a comprehensive approach to K-3 reading policy through successful policy implementation. She gives context as to what led her to this position - her previous experiences as State Literacy Director for Mississippi… Read more

Wondering how school leaders can support teachers in this work? Jovanni Ramos is a former school leader from NOLA and champion for supporting teachers using HQIM! Jovanni set teachers up for success on their Wit & Wisdom ELA implementation journey by setting clear priorities and communicating to all stakeholders.… Read more

Rachel Arnold is an intervention and special education teacher at Clayton, ES in Colorado. Her journey to HQIM began when she asked herself the question: How can we use the science of reading research to help us teach ALL kids to read and write? Listen in as she shares her experience and approach to this work! To read… Read more

UDL is invisible when done well in HQIM! In this episode, Sue Sabella and Vivian Nourse share how HQIM are designed with UDL embedded within. See below for a quick refresher of the three principles of UDL. If you'd like to read more, visit CAST UDL Guidelines . Engagement: Why am I learning this? Learners differ… Read more

Educator Shanita Rapatalo shares how "literacy, liberation, and opportunity go hand in hand" both on the podcast and in her recent blog post located here . She discusses the mindset shifts needed to make the change to evidence-based practices, what changed once these practices were implemented, and why… Read more

Meet Daisy Salazar-Garza, an incredibly thoughtful school leader at KIPP SOCAL, who shares her anti-bias and anti-racist approach to implementing Wit & Wisdom ELA. How is Wit & Wisdom aligned to KIPP's anti-bias & anti-racist approach? What aspects of curriculum could have missing pieces of… Read more

Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio considers science of reading research the backbone of their programming at all levels: undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral. On today's episode, we talk with Amy Murdoch, Reading Science Program Director at MSJ. Amy shares specifics about the courses and programs, details… Read more

What goes on behind the scenes at EdReports.org ? Tricia Parker and Jess Box share the gateways that EdReports uses to reviews curricula: standards alignment, quality, and usability. We ask the questions we all really want to know: Who are the curriculum reviewers? How do reviewers ensure standards alignment? What… Read more

Dr. Errick L. Greene, Superintendent of Jackson Public Schools , shares the district's transformation journey and how he level sets on what excellence looks like: HQIM Seeing is believing Professional learning opportunities (frequent, ongoing) Inquiry Most importantly, he asks and answers crucial questions, such… Read more

Laura Stewart from The Reading League discusses evidence-aligned instruction to support universal understanding around the science of reading. She discusses how practice CAN transform belief to help our students live a literate life. Sharing another fabulous literacy podcast - Teaching, Reading, and Learning with… Read more

How is professional learning is different with HQIM? How do we define high quality professional learning (HQPL)? Why should HQPL be content focused? Who is best suited to provide support for implementation of HQIM... and why? Answers to these questions and more with Rivet Education! Rivet is passionate about all… Read more

Margaret Goldberg & Lani Mednick from The Right to Read Project share why we should give equal importance to the ENTIRE reading rope ( Scarborough's Reading Rope )! We ask some tough questions, including Why and how are knowledge-building HQIM the epitome of EQUITY? How can we professionalize the teaching… Read more

Joey Hawkins & Diana Leddy of The Vermont Writing Collaborative share how educators can support students in creating and communicating their understanding through writing. The three pillars for writing for understanding are: Backward design (envision the final goal!) Build understanding (talking about text,… Read more

Adam Tyner , Associate Director of Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, joins us to unpack his recent research findings on Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study . A snapshot of this study is highlighted in EducationWeek's article, Does… Read more

How do primary teachers take a ' both and ' approach to literacy - building foundational skills for word recognition alongside knowledge and vocabulary for language comprehension? Jen & Sam, two primary teachers from Baltimore, share their experiences with Wit & Wisdom ELA (and the digital component,… Read more

Melissa and Lori reflect on the highs and lows of 2020, and share who they'd like to pod with in 2021! Join us to reflect and reset as we begin the new year. Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast! https://www.literacypodcast.com/ Connect with Melissa & Lori: Twitter Instagram Facebook… Read more

Liz Hembling's daughter, Mia, attended a public elementary school. Liz noticed early on that she struggled terribly learning to read. In second grade, the school placed Mia in a remedial reading group, without communicating this to Liz. When Liz expressed her concerns, she was repeatedly assured that Mia was “on… Read more

Tracy Heilman, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Sioux City, NE, shares how her district shifted from a standards-driven, balanced literacy approach to Wit & Wisdom ELA. She's led the charge during COVID to transitioning both materials and mindsets to facilitate access to high quality… Read more

Episode 37 The article Placing Text at the Center of the Standards-Aligned ELA Classroom is a must-read — before or after you listen to this episode! Meredith Liben and Sue Pimentel join us to unpack the true intentions behind the Common Core State Standards and how they’ve sometimes been misinterpreted in practice.… Read more

Kyair and Katie are just exceptional humans with the biggest hearts! Two fabulous teachers from Baltimore join us (again!) to chat about virtual school, share tips and tricks for virtual learning, the benefit of having HQIM during this unprecedented time, and how they'll support students' SEL needs. Connect… Read more

Jared Myracle shares the process and focus on curriculum adoption and implementation during his time as CAO of Jackson-Madison County Schools, where he learned that "people want better, but they don't like different." He unpacks his latest post, Reading Assessments Need an Upgrade , to dissect how and… Read more

Kristen Wynn (MDE State Literacy Director, K-12), Jill Webb Hoda (MDE Assistant State Literacy Coordinator, K-3), & Jessica Crosby-Pitchamootoo (Elementary Curriculum Lead Division 1, Jackson Public Schools), join Melissa & Lori to share the larger context of literacy in Mississippi, as well as why they… Read more

Melissa has a conversation with Dr. Molly Ness, an associate professor in childhood education at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education about how to help parents support their students with reading at home, how to instill a love of reading, and the real challenges that face us all as parents right now!… Read more

How is SEL embedded into high quality curricula? Hear from an expert: Chi Kim, CEO at Pure Edge, Inc. Chi shares what this looks, sounds, and feels like... intentional conversations around information gleaned from texts (have you heard the phrase 'mirrors & windows?'), strategies and resources to support… Read more

We had the opportunity to talk (again!) with Natalie Wexler about tips for effective remote learning (read her full article located here ), the current intersection of students' virtual learning and strategy-focused instruction (due to lack of knowledge-based, high quality curricula) and how parents are noticing!… Read more

Listen as second grader Presley shares 'knowledge nuggets' about her virtual learning experience with Knowledge on the Go by Great Minds. In only seven short weeks of using a knowledge-based curriculum vs. isolated standards/strategy-based approaches, she is using strategies to access content in context… Read more

Melissa and Lori chatted with Mark Feiring, the Executive Director of the Maryland Book Bank, to hear how the organization is supporting the community during this time. He shared some fabulous ideas - building partnerships with other community organizations such as The Baltimore Hunger Projects as well as community… Read more

Rachel Stack, CAO of Humanities at Great Minds, talks all things Knowledge on the Go, Great Minds' free, virtual, knowledge-building lessons led by teachers to support students, teachers, districts, and families in this time of quarantine. We discuss the role of knowledge-building in our new virtual learning… Read more

We talked with the fabulously candid Tim Shanahan about his recent blog post Prior Knowledge, or He Isn't Going to Pick on the Baseball Study that garnered much attention. Should we teach reading strategies? How important is building knowledge? What are reading skills vs. strategies? How frequent should strategy… Read more

Once again, Natalie Wexler has inspired a podcast episode! Today, Melissa and Lori discuss the new reality of many - schools are closed, and families and caregivers are wondering how to support their kids at home? Resources : How to Engage Kids and Build Their Knowledge When Schools are Closed, Natalie Wexler Get FREE… Read more

Robin McClellan, is the Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction for Sullivan County Public Schools in Sullivan County, TN, but even more importantly is a cheerleader for high-quality curricula (HQC) and a member of Curriculum Matters PLN. In Sullivan County, she spearheaded the implementation of high… Read more

Today Emily Hanford joins Melissa and Lori to define the Science of Reading, addressing the current misinterpretation of the term and what it really means. She shares thoughts on teacher prep programs and where teachers get knowledge about what or how to teach, contemplates why teacher prep programs are not preparing… Read more

Ep. 22: Dr. Sonja Santelises joined us to discuss why she saw the urgent need for change in Baltimore City Public Schools, how she set and supported a clear literacy focus through the Blueprint for Success and high-quality curricula, and the ongoing next steps that prevail. She is witty and sharp, but most of all, we… Read more

David Liben's 'tell it like it is' style combined with his raw humor and literacy expertise make him an invaluable resource and information source on this podcast! He has worked with Student Achievement Partners (SAP) and synthesized research behind the CCSS. David discusses why old habits die hard, the… Read more

In this episode, Karen Vaites and Janise Lane unpack a recent visit to see Wit & Wisdom's high quality curricula in action Baltimore City Public Schools. After the visit, Karen posted this blog . It's a must-read! Visit OUR WEBSITE to subscribe to our newsletter and podcast!… Read more

Kate Walsh, President, of National Council on Teacher Quality, joins us today to discuss her recent article, Getting at the root of the school to prison pipeline . She shares details about her visit to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and how that inspired her to write this article. A focus of NCTQ is whether… Read more

Join us as we talk with Angelique Jessup, Program Director & Ruth Farfel, Program Associate, at Campaign for Grade Level Reading in Baltimore, MD. Find out how grade level reading has collaborated with City Schools to support high-quality curricula implementation and how they engage and support families with… Read more

Today Scott Dieter joins us to share the landscape in Lorain, OH pre-high-quality curricula implementation and the steps his district made to prioritize trust and confidence before and during the implementation process. He shares lessons learned from the curriculum pilot as well as pivotal implementation input from… Read more

Join us as we hear from Brian Kingsley, CAO of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, NC. Brian shares his thoughts on how effective reading programs should be designed around evidence-based practices, how adopting a high-quality curricula and centering PD on curricula gives teachers a common purpose, resources… Read more

Catlin Goodrow, consultant at Evidently Reading, addresses common assumptions teachers and leaders have about high-quality curricula. Why aren't more districts, schools, and teachers using high-quality curricula? We debunk these assumptions in this episode! A central curriculum is boring/irrelevant. Providing a… Read more

What happens when kids get to high school and are striving readers, struggling to fluently read grade-level text? We discuss the Libens' approach to addressing this issue, as well as share experiences of Baltimore City Schools Secondary Blueprint Literacy Coaches Zachary Jaffe & Tami James. Read Know Better,… Read more

TNTP's Kristen McQuillan and Regan Kelly share how important it is to adopt a high-quality curriculum. But... what happens after that? What should be considered as next steps? What's the bridge from adoption to implementation of a new curriculum? What does this mean for teachers? SO. MANY. QUESTIONS!!! LOTS… Read more

Learning from Liz Manolis' great mind (see what we did there?) on successful structures for implementation of Wit and Wisdom curriculum including the Spotlight Schools Visit Program to support leadership coaching, trends on implementation successes and challenges, and preparing for mindset shifts to trust the… Read more

Melissa and Lori begin the conversation around equity and access with Bree-L Ukoha, a Blueprint Literacy Coach in Baltimore City Schools. Bree-L shares stories from the field and how adopting Wit and Wisdom curriculum was a step in the right direction of leveling the equity playing field for Baltimore students.… Read more

Today we are live with Natalie Wexler, the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System–And How to Fix It (LISTENERS - IT’S AVAILABLE TODAY!). The book focuses on the lack of content in the elementary curriculum and its connection to what is commonly known as the achievement gap.… Read more

Pun intended. This episode takes us into the world of Geodes - decodable readers that bridge foundational skills and Wit and Wisdom ELA - through building knowledge and accessible text. Melissa and Lori talk with Lorraine Griffith and Emily Gula, who share the research and insight behind the development of Geodes and… Read more

A teacher's perspective on curriculum implementation is invaluable... and today, we have not ONE, but TWO teacher perspectives on Wit and Wisdom year one implementation! Kyair and Katie are funny, smart, and have incredible learner-mindsets. They discuss the engagement of their students in texts and tasks, how… Read more

We are thrilled to have Janise Lane, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, share how Baltimore City Schools used research and strategy to drive the high-quality curriculum implementation of Wit and Wisdom for K-8 schools district-wide. City schools drove structures for leaders and teachers by anchoring… Read more

Melissa was inspired by a quote in Brene Brown's book: Dare to Lead https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/ . Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics, who said, “In the past, jobs were about muscles, now they’re about brains, but in the future they’ll be about the heart.” Listen to her insightful… Read more

We had the extreme pleasure of interviewing Amy Holbrook & Mandy Polen, literacy leads in Mad River, Ohio. The Mad River district adopted Wit and Wisdom's ELA curriculum two years ago district wide, and three years ago for several pilot schools. Since then, their teachers have been immersed in adaptive change… Read more

Join us as we fangirl over Natalie Wexler's articles: The Biggest Education News Story You've Never Heard Of & Why American Students Haven't Gotten Better at Reading in 20 Years. We share our thoughts on the explicit connection to Wit & Wisdom curriculum, research, and building knowledge (CCSS… Read more

Melissa and Lori dive into K-8 texts to highlight salty summer reads to get set for next school year! We share the why behind our choice for each summer read text choice and make recommendations for field trips and experiences connected to texts to further build background knowledge for students. Join us as you prep… Read more

Common Core Shift 3 is often understood as "a balance of literary and informational text types," but the most important part is misunderstood, the idea of building knowledge. How does the Wit and Wisdom literacy curriculum address building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction? Listen as we interview… Read more

What does fidelity mean in a large, urban school district when implementing Great Mind's Wit and Wisdom ELA curriculum? Melissa and Lori share perspective, research, and resources to support teachers in unpacking the why behind fidelity. In this episode, we reference: Justice is Found in the Details - Kate Gerson… Read more